I'm from the Lone Star State, but my first visit to Chili's Bar & Grill, a Texas-sized and Texas-based chain that now operates stores in two-dozen countries, was in Taipei six years ago. Accustomed to the portions at other local American restaurants, a group of big American men, we ordered what we thought would be a reasonable amount of food.
When the consequences of our decisions appeared before us, I thought to myself: "This is why people hate Americans." My group needed extra tables to hold the spread: several dead cows' worth of belt-busting fajitas, "big mouth" hamburgers and baby back ribs, plus bowls of Chili's "skillet queso" (sounds like KAY-so), a salty cheese dip seasoned with beef and served with corn chips. Each of us had a barrel-sized glass containing a margarita or soft drink. Someone ordered more cheese dip.
Chili's recently celebrated its 30th anniversary and now has more than 1,200 branches around the world, including two in Taipei and one in Taichung's Tiger City. When I visit home, I don't eat at these places. But in Taiwan, when the lure of infinite drink refills and triple-bypass-promoting hunks of beef becomes too strong to resist, I prefer Chili's. Unlike Swensen's, a Canada-based chain that has been in Taiwan for more than 20 years, Chili's does not allow for much local variation. To the greatest extent possible, everything from the ingredients to the California-style decorations is shipped in from the US. Staff members undergo a two-month program that trains them to act like American waiters.
Fortunately the course seems to have been only partially successful. After several visits to the Chili's in Neo 19, next to Vie Show in Taipei's Xinyi District, and in the Mitsukoshi department store in Tianmu (天母新光三越), I still have not seen the extremes of false, self-effacing enthusiasm that many large chains in the US force their servers to display.
As for the food, it's much better than TGI Friday's or Swensen's, and the ingredients taste fresher. But in its evolution to cater to a broader American and, more recently, international palate, the food at Chili's is less spicy and generally blander than the Tex-Mex dishes that inspired it.
What hasn't changed are the food-coma-inducing portions. Bring an appetite and schedule time for a nap.
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